Chapter 134

“The Schreibers,” she said, her voice laced with anger. A shiver ran down my spine as I realized what she meant. “Who else?”

My gaze flew to Matt, but he was still looking at Nina. “How many?” he growled.

“Three, but I took care of it. One got away.”

“They got some good shots in,” he said.

She glanced down at her bandaged torso. “Yes, well. They caught me off guard.”

Matt ran his hands through his already messy hair. I took a slight step away. I knew this wasn’t my fault, but I still felt guilty. The Schreibers were still my family. Dear God, what if my brother had something to do with this? I suddenly couldn’t look at Nina.

“Did you recognize any of them?” Enzo asked.

Matt turned away from us and stared hard at the window. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes were distant. I looked at him for a moment before letting my eyes drop again.

“No, but they were wearing masks. I called Seth to take care of the bodies.”

“Seth?” I couldn’t help but ask. He was on the hockey team with them.

Enzo nodded. “He’s a Peacekeeper as well.”

“Did you see who got away?” I asked.

Nina shook her head. “No, he kept his mask on.”

So, it very well could have been my brother. The thought of Nina having to kill two of them just to stay alive made a sickening feeling pool in my gut. Maybe Matt was wrong for bringing me here. A part of me wanted to leave and find my brother immediately. Demand an explanation. What if he tried to attack one of them and he died? Or Matt? Or Enzo? That sickening feeling only increased.

“Celeste?” Matt asked.

I looked up at him. “What if it was Jack?”

He just shook his head.

“Jack’s the reason they know about Enzo and me,” Nina said. “I hate to say this, but we might have to take care of him.”

“No,” Matt said, jaw clenched.

“Matt–”

His gaze met mine. He looked at me for a moment before turning back to his friends. “I said no. We’re not hurting Jack.”

“We need to do something about this,” Enzo argued. “I don’t want to hurt Jack either, but the Schreibers aren’t going to give us the same consideration. They want us dead. They want all of us dead.”

Nina looked at me, her gaze softening. “We won’t hurt your brother, Celeste. We’re supposed to keep the peace.” She sighed, then winced. “But things can’t go on like this. Jack is working for the enemy. We either convert him or…” She trailed off, but I knew exactly what she meant.

“I’ll talk to him,” I said. “Maybe I can convince him.”

“You can’t get rid of hatred like that with one conversation,” Matt muttered.

“I don’t need to,” I said. “I just need to convince him to stop supporting the Schreibers. I don’t think he likes them any more than you guys do. He told me he kept me from them on purpose. He didn’t want me to grow up the way he did.”

“I’m not an expert on their family structure, but I know it’s all about proving themselves to their leader,” Nina said, still looking at me. “Your grandfather. If your brother is doing this now, it’s because he needs to prove himself to the family. He has no other choice. If you fail the family, you’re as good as dead to them.”

“I know,” I said, thinking about my dad.

She shifted slightly, a pained look on her face. Enzo reached for her, but she gave him a sharp look, stopping him in his tracks. “Things are ramping up again. The Crescent wolves are back, and they’re looking for a fight. Now the Schreibers too. We’re looking at another war.” She gave me a sympathetic look. “I wish you didn’t have to be in the middle of this.”

“Well, I am,” I said. “If what you’ve said about my family is true, then I’ve always been. Jack thinks they’ll come for me.”

“That’s not happening,” Matt growled.

I didn’t look away from Nina. “You and your brother are going to have to pick a side soon. Eventually, there won’t be room for a middle ground,” she said.

“I already know what side I’m on.” Matt stepped forward and took my hand again, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I’ll make sure my brother does, too.”

~

Jack wasn’t home when I returned, but he showed up just before dinner. I’d made spaghetti, and he sat down at the table without a word, a drawn look on his face. He looked up as I put the plate down in front of him, but still didn’t say anything. I searched his face and arms for injury or some other signs of a fight, but I didn’t see anything.

I took my seat across from him and cleared my throat. “Was it you?”

He twirled pasta onto his fork. “You’re going to have to be more specific.”

“Did you attack Nina today?”

His gaze flew to mine. “What do you mean?”

“A few members of our family attacked her today. They tried to kill her. Only one of her assailants got away, but she couldn’t see who they were because they wore a mask.”

“Fuck,” he muttered, leaning back in his chair. I noticed the dark circles under his eyes and the pale cast to his skin. “I swear I wasn’t there.”

“I know you told the family about Nina and Enzo.”

He didn’t bother to deny it.

“Why should I believe you?”

“They were supposed to call me,” he said. “I was supposed to be a part of it.” He dropped his fork onto his plate with a loud clatter, making me jump. “Fuck, he’s always testing me.”

“Our grandfather?”

“Yes. He hates me.”

I reached across the table and took his hand, squeezing hard. “Don’t work for them then. Don’t do this. I know you hate werewolves, but Nina and the others aren’t hurting anyone. They’re trying to prevent another war. They’re trying to help the rogues.”

A shadow crossed his face, and he pulled his hand away. “You shouldn’t know about this,” he said. “It’s not safe.”

“Well, I do. I also know that working for our family is wrong. They just want to hurt people. Innocent people.”

“I doubt Nina is innocent.”

“How do you know? You can’t see past your own prejudice. They used to be your friends. You know them better than anyone else.”

“They lied to me.”

“They were afraid you’d react just like this.”

He put his face in his hands and let out a heavy breath. “It’s not that easy,” he said, his voice slightly muffled. “Everything is such a mess. What am I supposed to do?” He dropped his hands, his cheeks red. “What am I supposed to do?” he shouted.

I leaned back in my seat, unnerved by his sudden outburst.

“Everything’s fucked. I’m just trying to keep you safe. I’m trying to keep everyone safe.”

“Working for the Schreibers is doing the exact opposite of that.”

He got to his feet. “You don’t know half as much as you think you do,” he snarled.

I watched him stride out of the room, my heart pounding. A few minutes later, his bedroom door slammed shut.

I let out a heavy breath and slumped down into my seat. It was still hard standing up to him, but I was getting better at it. I couldn’t let him walk all over me anymore. Too much was at stake. His life was at stake. I had to make sure the people I cared about got out of this unscathed. Even after everything between us, Jack made that list. He was important to me, my only real family, and I wasn’t about to lose him.

I knew I hadn’t convinced him of anything yet, but it was a start.